Phil Upham of Edgartown died peacefully at his home on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, with his wife by his side.
Phil was born in the town of Weston, where his ancestors had settled in 1740, on Nov. 11, 1936, the son of Maurice Upham and Hazel (Bassett) Upham.
After graduating from Weston High School, he joined the Army National Guard, and completed his basic training at Fort Dix.
Phil worked for the town of Weston for 35 years, 33 of those years as a firefighter. When he joined the fire department, his father was the fire chief. Phil also had his own part-time welding business.
Some of his early jobs as a kid were as a golf caddy (the family home was on the second hole of the Weston Country Club) and doing chemical plating for Raytheon.
While restoring Willys Jeeps was a love of his, it was certainly not his only love. His beloved wife of 53 years, Alice (Ali) Ferreira Upham, was his
first true love — after their first date they both knew they were meant for each other, and they were engaged six weeks later, much to the chagrin of of their mothers.
He loved fishing with his sons when they were younger, and later he spent time with his son Kurt on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. Norton Point and Chappaquiddick were some of their favorite spots. Phil also loved to go clamming and metal detecting. Friendships were crafted, and more people fell in love with this caring, kind, loyal, loving, strong, and wonderful man. He loved taking his granddaughters for ice cream at Dairy Queen in Edgartown.
Phil and Ali came to the Vineyard for a weekend in 1968 and fell in love with it. They bought land in 1970, and in 1989 they started to build their dream house.
Phil is survived by his beloved wife Ali and his children: Kimberly Upham Arms and her husband Jonathan of Littleton; Keith Upham and his wife Cynthia of Natick; and Kurt Upham and his wife Colleen of Wayland.
Phil was the loving and proud grandfather of Madison Upham of Natick, and twins Sydney and Caroline Upham of Wayland. Phil also leaves his brother, Donald Upham of Aiken, S.C., and his wife Joyce, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Phil’s funeral service was held on Nov. 19 at the John C. Bryant Funeral Home in Wayland. Burial followed in the Linwood Cemetery, Weston. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Philip’s memory to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 230 East Ohio Street, Suite 304, Chicago, IL 60611- 3201 (pulmonaryfibrosis.org/ways-to-give/donate-now).
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